


Secrets Outside The Chamber

by i_die_for_descendants



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Harry Potter, Bisexuality, F/F, F/M, Gay, Gay Harry Potter, Gay Ron Weasley, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:07:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24944365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_die_for_descendants/pseuds/i_die_for_descendants
Summary: Ron and Harry secretly begin to date and have decided to share the news with the people they care about.
Relationships: Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Cedric Diggory/Harry Potter, Harry Potter/Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Harry Potter/Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 10
Kudos: 118





	1. Potter's Potions

A blanket of snow had peacefully fallen over the school late that November, ironically for a blanket it caused quite the chill in the medieval castle, forcing many students to wear their jumpers and scarves throughout most of the day, those who did not were seen shivering non-stop.

The young boy lifted his hand to move his unruly hair to the side as it had begun to fall over his glasses obstructing his vision. The potions assignment had been hard enough to focus on without anything else inhibiting his work ethic. That being said, the more he stared at the essay question, the less focus he had regarding it. He closed his potions book in frustration, planting his head into his palms, only looking up when the feeling of warmth wrapped around him as did two large arms from behind.

‘Guess who’ a deep voice whispered in his ear, the breath causing a slight tickling sensation that went from his ear and down his neck.

He turned in his chair to see the tall slim frame of Ron towering above him. Ron has slightly bulked out, his arms were bigger, but he still looked skinny, all things considered. His red hair was messy as per usual, not that Harry could make any comment on messy hair, but there was a slight indication of his trying to fix it – an effort Harry appreciated him going to. His robes were rather scruffy due to their hand-me-down nature giving the boy a rather rough look, one which Harry was not opposed to. Despite all of this and his attraction to the boy he lifted his hands and removed the boys arms turning to fully face the boy.

‘Ron stop, someone might see you’

‘There’s no one here’ his lips touched the Harry’s pale cheek that shifted to a light pink under his touch. It was dangerous what they were doing, sneaking around the castle like two common criminals for almost a month. Each kiss indicated a seal of their secrecy, each touch a reminder of their lies, they were intertwined and they were the only ones who knew. Even their closest friend had not suspected them, they had treated lightly so that they could escape the fear of even her knowing their secret, a difficult act but one they were thriving in.

‘Come on I’m serious’ but despite his complaints and serious tone he could not help his lips curving upwards to a smile and did not resist when Ron’s head lay on top of his own, ‘we haven’t even told Hermione yet’

‘She’ll find out when we tell her’ he was calm about it, as though it didn’t matter, had this not been eating him up on the inside like it had been Harry? He shifted to sit beside him, his touch never straying.

‘About that…’ his gaze fell upon the table when Ron shot a questioning look as though to check if he has completely lost his sanity in the past ten minutes.

‘Seriously? You want to tell her?’ he finally asked after getting no indication of sudden madness or humour in his tone. His questions felt more like assaults given his tine but Harry understood why he reacted in such a manner – there was a very high probability Hermione would not approve which would cause a halt in the friendship.

‘We have to, we’ve been keeping this a secret for far too long, it isn’t right’ there had already been a strange tension between the group, Harry and Ron’s banter had ceased since their secret romance had begun, fearing they would cross a line and give a slight clue ultimately giving away their secret. Due to this the conversation often stopped and long silenced were painfully endured.

‘I thought you liked our secret?’ his hands intertwined with his own and he felt more at peace than he had in the past week. Their little secret, he had loved it, but secrets weren’t something they did and Hermione deserved better than to be lied to, she was too good for that.

‘I did but-‘ he tried to find the words, ones that while conveying his point would not offend the boy sitting beside him ‘we have to Ron…’

‘Well we can do that tomorrow’ once again the soft touch of his lips met Harry’s as he pulled on his arm, as their connection broke Harry’s eyes wandered to the library window, the sun was setting leaving the sky a range of pinks and oranges which reflected slightly on the snow. Despite wanting to do nothing but sit and stare at the view the two of them could not afford to get in trouble for lingering… again. But he knew that was the last thing on Ron’s mind in that moment, his reasons for going to bed were far more devious. With that knowledge he entertained the idea and left the library with him before Filch could tell them off for being out to late.

He and Ron quietly fell into his bed and wrapped themselves under their covers, they has been sneaking to each other’s beds quite frequently since their rendezvous began. At first it had caused a few questions to arise but the event had become quite common, not only between them, but between several other dorm mates. They had explained to them that sleeping together, being that in the same bed, created more body head and kept them warm from the cold winter that surrounded the school. Taking a liking to this idea their dorm mates had tried it and it was now a common occurrence, luckily for them.

Harry took a deep breathe as he removed his glasses from his face, and thought about what he had committed to. The two of them would tell her, they were telling Hermione all about the past month tomorrow, either she would be happy for them or they would have breakfast thrown in their faces. Either way it was happening. Tomorrow. Together.


	2. Breaking It Over Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys sorry i haven't been updating but my mental health hasn't exactly been the best recently and so i had no motivation to update but i'm feeling better now so hopefully you'll see more updates soon

Harrys eye’s opened to his blurred vision as the light poured through the bedrooms window, he reached his arm out and placed his glasses on his face. Rons arms were still wrapped around him from their cuddling the night before, he wished he could lie here forever wrapped in the boys embrace, but he knew that wasn’t possible, they had class and if they were late again people they would suffer a detention, and normally Harry wouldn’t mind being alone with Ron but Hermione wouldn’t be pleased... oh that was right... Hermione. The two still had to tell Hermione about their relationship and had to deal with the consequences which might come with that revelation.

Harry turned to Ron and placed a kiss on his forehead, the boy moaned a slight smile appearing on his face, Ron was in no way a morning person but he made an exception for Harry. The ginger haired boy moved his head forward and began placing kisses over the boy's body, Harry smirked at him, he knew there was a danger of getting caught but right now he didn’t care. After several bodily kisses Harry realized Ron was leaving marks all across his body, little love kisses spotting over his chest.

‘Ron, stop, someone will see’ Harry said letting out a slight moan as he placed another

‘I don’t care’ he continued up his collar bone, as he drew closer to his neck Harry let out a quick movement which knocked Ron out of the bed with a loud thud

‘What’re you two at?’ Dean asked rubbing the sleep out of his eyes

‘Uh nothing, Ron fell out of bed’ Harry lied quickly letting out a forced chuckle

‘The stupid git, woke the bloody lot of us’ Seamus groaned turning in his bed

‘Ignore him, he’s not a morning person, are you babe?’ Dean asked placing kisses on the boy's body

Harry’s face flushed a hot red upon seeing this, as his mind drifted to earlier when Ron had been doing the same. Dean and Seamus had been dating for a while now, Harry admired how open they were about their relationship, he hoped he and Ron could be that way someday, but one step at a time, Hermione.

‘God Harry you think you’d be used to all this kissing by now’ Seamus smirked sitting up in bed

‘W-what?’

‘He never bloody stops with it, it’s constant, yet yer still red as a beetroot’

‘Oh I... I didn’t mean...’

‘It’s fine Harry he’s only teasing’ Dean said wrapping his arms around the boy

Harry smiled as he got out of bed, and walked over to Ron who lay on the floor, he shook the boy to check if he was okay, Ron let out a groan in reply and taking that as a yes Harry walked over to his bed to get changed, all four of the roommates slept in their boxers, a sight Harry had come to enjoy once he realized he was also attracted to boys, before he hadn't noticed nor cared for that matter but eventually it became his favourite part of the room, soon to be replaced with sleeping in the same bed with Ron. The view was still nice though, now he just felt less guilty about looking at his best friend while he was changing, in fact the room had become more open since the two had begun dating, despite no one knowing a sudden lack of care arose to the point where someone was always partially or fully naked in the room.

As soon as he and Ron were changed, they headed towards the Great Hall for breakfast, they had taken longer than usual and so had avoided an awkward interaction with Hermione, one they surely wouldn’t avoid again. As they walked down the seating area, they saw Hermione’s nose stuck in a book as per usual and they sat in front of her.

‘You two are late’ she said not raising her head from her book

‘Yeah we lost track of time’ Ron giggled, Hermione gave him a disapproving look

‘You two really must keep a better schedule, otherwise you’ll find yourself in detention and if you aren’t careful you could face expulsion’

‘Sorry Hermione, we’ll try’ Harry said in a shy voice, Hermione raised an eyebrow at the reply, usually the two made fun of her or disregarded her warnings but not today, they were too nervous today.

The three began to eat, and Ron as per usual piled the food onto his plate and ate as though he hadn't in several days.

‘Uh Ron’ Harry said nudging the boy

‘Oh, shove off Harry I’m starved’ he said handing him some food as his was running low ‘you really need to eat more’

‘No no that’s not it’ he motioned towards Hermione

‘N-now?’ Ron asked almost choking on his food

‘For goodness sakes Ron, if you’re going to eat like that at least chew your food’ Ron raised an eyebrow to Harry as Hermione made a comment

‘Hermione...’ he said shyly but she wasn’t listening she had stood up

‘I have to go, I need to speak to Flitwick about our assignment, not that you two need me’ she left, sounding rather hurt as she said it, it had been true the boys had been sort of avoiding her, being late, whispering, guilt rose in Harry’s chest. They had tried so hard not to hurt Hermione that they had just hurt her more.

They two moved closer together and intertwined their finger as they held hands beneath the table, Ron handed him more food and began doing impressions of professors almost making Harry fall out of his seat with laughter, things weren’t exactly perfect but in that moment they felt like they were, Ron had a way of making any situation become immediately better usually through his humour. Through his laughter he looked across to where Hermione had sat and he wished for nothing more than the moment where she could join in on these moments with them, where everything would be like it used to, but it would never be the same, Harry hoped that would be for a good reason.

'My heads still sore you know'

'Oh shove off' Harry giggled 'I'll kiss it better later' he whispered


	3. Honest at Hogsmeade

Hermione had avoided them all day, and them being in the same classes made that very difficult but being intuitive as ever she found a way and became distant from the two much to the confusion of everyone around them, the golden trio was now just the two of them something they were all unfamiliar with. Infact for the rest of that day they saw her for only a few seconds before she found a way to disappear in the crowds, for the exceptional young witch who always made a point of standing out, she was rather hidden.

The next morning however she could not avoid them as their year was to go to Hogsmeade for the first time and they had elected to go together, the two hadn't heard of any change to those plans but if the previous day was any indication they were walking into the unknown. But there she stood with the permission slip in hand waving shyly at the two, she wasn’t running so that was a good sign.

‘Hey’ she said looking at the two, she wasn’t her usual self which was understandable considering everything that had happened between them.

‘Hi’ they replied in unison causing the three to giggle, it was awkward but it was better than it was, so it was a start

‘Permission slips’ Professor McGonagall asked taking them from their classmates, she turned to face the three of them and took the slips from Hermione and Ron and turned to face Harry, ‘Potter, your slip?’

‘Professor I-’ she shook her head knowing what he was about to say to her.

‘Potter I cannot allow you to go without a signature’ she let out a sigh at his face falling at her interruption ‘so I suppose I will have to sign it for you’ she said taking the unsigned slip from his hand discreetly and giving him a smile

‘Lucky one eh Harry?’ Ron smiled giving him a playful punch

‘Well I had a backup plan anyway’ he said pulling out the Marauder's Map from his pocket ‘Fred and George gave me a little help’

‘Harry you really should give that to Professor Dumbledore’ Hermione said but apparently not wanting to cause another rift added ‘but that’s a conversation for later, come on we are falling behind’ she grabbed their arms and pulled the two running towards the group with their arms intertwined.

Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas card: the little thatched cottages and shops were all covered in a layer of crisp snow; there were holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candies hanging in the trees. The shops were lined with Christmas decorations and items on display on the windows to attract the eyes of shoppers passing by, with offers on as well as presents on display the reminded that Christmas was drawing closer could escape no one's mind, Harry was to go to Ron’s like every other year except this year wasn’t like every other year – Ron and harry were dating a fact they hoped to make public to the Weasley clan, but at first, they had to tell Hermione.

The trio sat in the Three Broomsticks and each ordered a cup of Butterbeer each and as they waited for them to come, they sat in an uncomfortable silence, they hadn't had a moment alone yet and were all walking on occamy shells around each other.

‘Hermione-’

‘No Harry wait, if you don’t mind I have something I’d like to say first’ he nodded and she continued ‘i overreacted I know you two can hang out without me I just felt sort of isolated, like I wasn’t in on the jokes or the fun, but I should have voiced those opinions rather than lashing out and avoiding you both’

‘We’re sorry you feel like that but I think you’ll understand if we tell you that um...’ Harry lost his words

‘You see we uh’ Ron did the same

‘Thank you’ Hermione smiled as their butterbeers arrived and she handed them to the boys ‘yes?’ she asked taking a sip from her butterbeer

‘Ron and i are dating’ Hermione choked on her drink at Harry’s confession, ‘we have been for a few months, we just wanted to try it out before telling anyone, and we weren't sure how you would react’

Hermione remained silent for a moment, wiping the throff off of her upper lip.

‘So, nobody knows?’ she asked finally after a few moments

‘No, you are the first person we have told’ Ron informed her

‘And it’s going well? You plan on telling others?’

‘Yes... to both’ Harry said with an awkward smile

‘Oh this is fabulous!’ she got up and practically jumped on them for a hug grabbing them tightly ‘well thank you for telling me’ she smiled at the two as they all giggled, she had knocked them all to the floor causing a scene, but in that moment she no longer cared.

They all got up eventually after a long period of laughter and sat drinking several rounds of butterbeer, she had a million questions and they were all but happy to answer them for them. They hadn't spoken like this since before they had begun dating, the truth had brought back their chemistry. They filled her in on how they managed to hide it from her a feat she was both proud of and annoyed her. Harry also informed her of the sleeping together fiasco they had created which caused Hermione to laugh so hard that she snorted butterbeer out of her nose, not so flattering for her but a funny memory for them all.


	4. The Bloody Blizzard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys this chapter is extremely long, almost twice as long as the others so i apologise if long chapters aren't your thing! but i wanted to put all of the hogwarts writing in to one chapter. anyway enjoy!

After their trip to Hogsmeade the weather around them had worsened, the days became shorter and colder, the surrounding area had become a snow globe, the usual landmarks and noticeable features were hidden beneath the blizzards snow, a white sheet being the only visible feature across the horizon. The students had been given explicit instructions to remain indoors until the storm passed, several classes had been cancelled like flying practice and herbology due to the cold weather hindering the practicality of the lessons and for the safety of the students and teachers, it made little difference due to how close the holidays were, they were at the end of the week, and students had been so focused on packing the past few weeks that the idea of not being able to go home was just now looming over them. The Great Hall was consistently serving hot food and hot drinks, mainly butterbeer and the new inclusion of hot chocolate due to the suggestion of several muggle-borns and half-bloods an idea that Dumbledore quickly agreed to after sampling some of the hot liquid and it was growing quickly in popularity much to the surprise of many of the students it had become increasingly popular among the purebloods as it was an uncommon drink in the wizarding world.

Harry and Ron sat in the Gryffindor row, Ron looking rather curiously at the drink in Harry’s hand as he wiped the whipped cream off of his lips, Hermione walking towards them two wrapped boxes in her hands she sat in front of the two placing the boxes on the table and listened to their petty arguing.

‘Ron if you’re so curious why don’t you try some?’ Harry asked pushing the cup towards the boy

‘I dunno Harry’ he looked down at the brown liquid ‘it looks strange’

‘Honestly Ron I’m surprised you’ve never had hot chocolate before’ Hermione said interrupting the two's arguing.

‘Course I’ve had something similar, but not muggle hot chocolate’ he said pushing the cup back, ‘like fizzing cocoa for example’

‘Come on Ron, try it? For me?’

Ron pulled the cup towards himself and gave the hot chocolate a sniff, he’d had chocolate before of course but this wasn’t the same, or was it? With an encouraging look from the two he took a reluctant sip from the cup and a smile appeared across his face as he downed the remainder of the cup whipping the chocolate mustache with his sleeve.

‘Oi you drunk all of my hot chocolate!’ Harry took the cup off of him and held it upside down shaking it, as no liquid left the cup and he put it down in annoyance.

‘Aw I'm sorry, but at least I liked it right?’ Harry pouted, huffing like a child, ‘how about I make it up to you later, we can use chocolate for something else’ he whispered but not quite enough that it avoided the hearing of Hermione who groaned in disgust.

‘Oh goodness, let me go and barf’ she said looking away from the two.

The two apologized turning away from each other and facing the girl, in that moment they looked at the table and saw the two wrapped boxes that lay in front of them and then at each other in confusion as a smile was plastered on her face.

‘Hermione what are those?’ Ron asked pointing at the boxes that lay in front of Hermione

‘They are presents obviously’ she said pushing them forward to the two of them, ‘for the two of you’

The two quickly grabbed the presents, tearing the wrapping without care and opening the boxes, Harry’s contained chocolate frogs while Ron’s contained a box of honeydukes sweets, both also containing vouchers for the three broomsticks, Harry realized it was similar to the stamp cards you got for coffee in the muggle world.

‘What are these for?’ Ron asked turning the voucher over in his hands, ‘so you can snort more butterbeer out of your nose?’

The two began laughing at Ron’s comments and despite her attempts to keep a straight face Hermione could not help herself from giggling at the idea, it had been the day that the two of them had told her about their relationship, she was still the only one who knew for that matter.

‘Have you heard the storm is still going?’ Hermione asked the two looking out the Great Hall’s frost covered windows ‘owl post has been delayed, there’s a chance we won’t get to go home for the holidays’

‘Nah Dumbledore won’t let that happen’ Ron assured her while shaking his head as he began devouring the sweets, ‘the complaints would be dreadful, I can already hear Draco when-’

‘When my father hears about this, he’ll have that old sod Dumbledore fired before he knows what's coming to him’ they heard Draco complain across the hall as though on cue, ‘he can’t keep us all here, that’s basically kidnapping, there has to be a law against it, if their isn’t then there should be! Perhaps my father can contact the ministry about that’

The three snorted at his comments, Draco had done nothing but complain since the snow became slightly heavier. He complained about the snow, the cold, being kept here, he complained about how his grades would be affected, and despite drinking a lot of it he complained about the introduction of hot chocolate. He had done nothing but complain, he had always been a complaining little git but he had gotten far worse recently, the three realized they couldn’t stomach staying here at Hogwarts with Draco’s persistent whining.

A clap silenced the entire Great Hall, and their attention was turned to the front of the hall where the professors sat, all enjoying the festive food and drink. Dumbledore stood in front of them, as the entire hall and the professors too looked at him as though they had no idea what was going on, they now realized that there was a probability the professors were also unaware of his intentions, leaving them all waiting in anticipation.

‘The very best of evenings to you all, first i would like to thank the students for their suggestion and support of the introduction of the hot chocolate beverage we have all come to enjoy’ Harry heard a snort from Draco, but was very convinced that was what was in his cup, ‘I’m sure you are all very curious about where we stand with the weather, well I am glad to inform you that the storm will lessen by the end of the week in time for you all to return home!’

A cheer filled the hall as students began to excitedly chatter about the news their principal had just delivered to them, the majority of them would be returning home for the holidays. Dumbledore returned to his seat and with a final clap, the food appeared before them, it was a time for celebration.

As the end of the week grew closer, the trio realized that the only thing they had left to do was go to visit Hagrid and say their farewells. The weather had slightly lightened but was still freezing the students. Despite having anticipated the coldness the sting of the snow on their faces was not something they prepared for, their feet were beginning to freeze and despite their footsteps being small, they sunk with each stride, yet they knew that each step brought them closer to Hagrid’s hut and the warmth it would provide them.

As they stood in front of the hut, they had to knock the door with their shaking hands as the door knocker had been frozen shut. The three shivered outside the hut as the sound of Hagrid's movements, came from the other side of the door, the door had a few tugs and with a final pull Hagrid pulled the door open as ice fell on their heads.

‘Oh, sorry about all o’ that’ Hagrid’s gruff voice apologized to them three, he looked at the three shaking in the cold, ‘well come on in then’

The three practically ran into the hit as Hagrid closed the door behind them, they were met with the warmth from a fire Hagrid had lit and began to kindle with his umbrella. They sat at his table as he turned and sat beside them, smiling at them. Hagrid always enjoyed their visits, they brought him comfort, they provided him company. The three of them saw him as more than the help or the big oaf Hagrid, they saw him for the person he was and he appreciated the three of them for that.

‘We just came to say our goodbye’s before we leave Hagrid’ Hermione told him with a smile as he poured them all a cup of hot chocolate which they all happily drank, they wouldn’t give up the opportunity for warmth after the brittle cold they ensued to get to Hagrid’s hut, while they enjoyed visiting him, they hadn’t exactly enjoyed the cold the journey had brought.

‘Well you lot jus’ be careful with tha’ weather, course if Dumbledore says it’s okay then we should trust em’ despite his words of trust in the principle, he looked out at the window with fear in his eyes.

‘We’ll be extra careful Hagrid we promise’ Harry reassured him.

‘Yeah my mum wouldn’t let us risk it otherwise’ Ron gave him a smirk.

The trio sat with Hagrid for another hour drinking hot chocolate, Hagrid apologizing for giving information he shouldn’t have and reassuring him that they would all be safe on their journey home. They said their final goodbyes to a teary-eyed Hagrid as they faced the cold once again on their journey back to the castle.

Ron and Harry finished their packing very last minute as usual; Hermione of course had her packing done weeks before they were even sure that they would return home for the holidays. They were of course staying at the burrow, Mrs. Weasley had graciously extended an invitation to the three, this Christmas was different though, they were going to tell Ron’s family that the two of them were dating, the family was usually extremely accepting of Harry and Ron and everything they did, but they has never told them anything like this, it was a completely new territory and hopefully one they could survive from.

The three of them arrived to the train and brought their luggage onto the train, the weather had finally lightened up just in time for their return journey home. Ron and Harry were completely nerve wracked at the idea of telling Ron’s family, but with some reassurance from Hermione, their nerves were slightly lessened.

‘You’ll be fine, they love you, both of you. They always have and they always will’ she gave them a hug to help comfort them, and to her surprise it worked, Hermione gave herself less credit than she deserved in these areas, because as much as she would deny it she was good at comforting them.

‘Thanks Hermione’ Harry smiled.

‘Yeah thanks Hermione, you’re surprisingly good at that’ Ron joked playfully, Hermione smiled at him, at both of them.

They weren’t sure of what would happen when they got there and delivered the news but whatever was going to happen, they would do it together and that was the important thing, they had done everything together and they weren’t going to stop now. They wished they had told Hermione sooner so that they could have done it together sooner, but that didn’t matter now what mattered was that they had told her and she had accepted it in the best way she possibly could have.

The train let off a final whistle as the heavy wheels began to move, they slowly moved forward quickly picking up speed, the snow-covered castle shrinking behind them, but they weren’t looking behind them, they were looking forward, because that was all they cared about, their future.


	5. Winter At The Weasley's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't been updating this as often as i have 'Hooked On Him' and so here is an extra long chapter, hope you enjoy!

The trains wheels finally slowed much to the excitement of the passengers, due to the iciness of the tracks the train was forced to make a longer slower journey rather than at its usual speed, the trio made remarks about how they thought there should be a spell for that much to their disappointment Hermione reported that she hadn't couldn’t recall one as she never heard of or read of one which was surprising considering the amount of books on magic, spells and charms she had read even within the restricted section and for once in her life Hermione’s mind had gone blank and she was rendered speechless in her thought. They had done almost everything imaginable, they had eaten twice as many sweets and candies as they usually did, had played exploding snap several times, the trio compared previous Christmas’ Ron’s hadn't changed much all things considered there was the arrival of Ginny which he was too young to remember and having Hermione and Harry at the Burrow was not much different to the typically crowded nature of their home during the holidays or in general for that matter, them being there actually tended to make things more interesting and exciting not only for Ron but for the whole family, they all adored Harry whether it be Mrs. Weasley with her motherly instincts treating him as one of her own, Fred and George who treated him better than they treated Ron at times or Ginny with her little crush, they all had their sympathies and like for Harry. Similarly, they all enjoyed the company of Hermione, Percy particularly loved having debates and sophisticated conversations with her and Arthur bore tales of the ministry and injustice and often asked the young girl for recommendations on how she would handle these things, she truly was the brightest witch of her age. And Ron, well Ron was blood but he was more than that, many other pureblood families saw blood as important for the wrong reasons, thankfully his family was not like this and they saw Ron not only as blood but as his own person who they did not aim to control or conform to attain respect from others like many pureblood families did, they did simply what they wanted and what they felt was right and despite landing them the title of blood-traitors they stood by this and their decisions, because it was what made the Weasley’s who they were, the charismatic, caring, warm family as opposed to others such as the Malfoys who’s tendencies and behaviors made them cold, cruel and abusive.

Hermione’s Christmas’ were a curiosity to both Ron as well as his entire family and she often told tales of her childhood Christmas’ much to the astonishment to everyone but Harry, although he knew of these traditions and feelings through stories and through how his aunt and uncle treated each other and Dudley around the holidays, they were still a mystery to him due to the Dursley’s iciness. Even Percy with his knowledgeableness that he often bragged about, stayed quiet in his awe of her muggle stories and traditions. She told them of their traditions of making a gingerbread house copy of their own home from scratch with mini versions of themselves also and how her mother would read them the Christmas carol every Christmas eve, her father and Hermione being the ghost of the past and the present when Hermione grew. She joked of how the holidays were the one time her parents lessened their dentist mindsets on unhealthy foods much to her surprise filling the house with sweets and treats which were not common items found in the Granger household. But she told them instead of having all the sweets in a sitting or two they tended to spread out the consumption over the holidays, which made their purchases of the treats more understandable to her.

Harry tended not to share his Christmas experiences for obvious reasons, in fact he had only told them of his holiday experiences once, this was because Arthur had made the mistake of him asking Harry and continuing to persist despite arguments from the trio, he told them of events and treatment that left them slack jawed. The holidays were the one holiday were Harry wasn’t expected to cook as Petunia didn't want to risk him ruining their day by burning their perfect Christmas dinner (probably also to avoid a tantrum from Dudley), he did however have to clean the dishes and cooking appliances and often didn’t eat with them as he had too much to do and even when he did get time to eat it was in his room under the stairs and all he ate was whatever was left over, he ate the scraps like a stray dog although he joked that a stray dog got treated better, a joke none of them could laugh at due to their shock. He continued to tell them of how his receiving of gifts was a rare occurrence and when it did happen it was handed down usually broken or torn, clothes or toys from Dudley that he had either broken, grown out of or grown bored of, and despite his usual dislike of them he had to act grateful for the fear that he wouldn’t receive one the next year and while it wasn’t much he liked being treated like a normal human for at least once a year and didn’t want that taken away from him. The whole Weasley household sat silently in their shock when he had told them this all shocked senseless that anyone could ever treat another human like that, even Ron and Hermione sat quietly they had known of his bad experiences but he had never shared the details with them.

The train came to a stop as they arrived at King’s Cross Station, Platform 9 ¾ was packed as usual buzzing with excited families here to collect their children and take them home for the Christmas holidays. The trio grabbed their cases as they hopped off of the Hogwarts express onto the platform, Ron slipping on the icy platform, he then grabbed Harry pulling him forward who then gripped onto Hermione who lost her grip of the train and fell with them, the three now lay on the platform with their bags lying around them in a pile. They muttered and complained each blaming the other giving their reasons why it wasn’t their fault and how the other should have known, the only thing the three did agree on was if there wasn’t an anti-slipping spell they were going to find a way to create one and if there was then why the hell hadn't it been applied here?. The large shadow loomed over them and the trio looked up to see the cherry face of Mrs. Weasley smiling down at them.

‘What are you three doing down there? You’ll hurt yourselves if you aren’t careful’ too late, they all thought to themselves as she helped each of them up, as they grabbed her outstretched hand.

Harry was last to get up, he reluctantly took Mrs. Weasley’s hand after a reassuring look from the others and a rather confused one from Mrs. Weasley. Harry had known this whole thing was going to be difficult but he hadn't imagined exactly how difficult it was going to be, he couldn’t even take the woman’s hand, the woman who had been like a second mother to him, who had taken him in year after year through every Christmas and summer, sending him gifts and treating him like a son. She had been here from the very beginning, helping him get onto the very platform they were now standing on, and he couldn’t even look her in the eye. The moment she looked like she was going to ask him what was wrong or if he was okay, as was expected from her motherly nature, she was bombarded with shouts from Fred and George, quickly followed by Ginny and Percy coming last once he had made sure that all of the students were off of the train, after bidding goodbye to his fellow prefects he stood in the large huddle of their family as they all began to help lift up the trios fallen luggage that had collapsed due to their fall, once all was lifted onto trolley’s they set off to the car in the beginning of their journey to the Burrow. Arthur had modified the vehicle so that the entire family could fit, Mrs. Weasley and Percy sat in the front much to the argument of Fred George and Ginny, all of which ended up in what should have been the back seats and the trio sat in the extra three seats Arthur had added. Ron squeezed Harry’s hand in secret as he let out a heavy sigh, this was going to be a rollercoaster of a holiday.

The Ford Anglia slowed as it lowered itself onto the grass in front of the garage of the Burrow, now covered in a light blanket of snow similar to the one that had fallen onto Hogwarts before the blizzard, Harry hoped they would not face the same weather here because as much as he loved the Burrow he wasn’t sure that the building had been constructed to take that type of weather, even in Hogwarts with its protection charms and years facing storms Harry feared a roof might cave or a window might crack, never mind the Burrow and given the looks Hermione gave him she also had the same concern as him but despite this they reluctantly followed the others as they walked forward their feet sinking slightly into the snow as they headed towards the Burrow.

As they stepped into the Burrow so too did they step out of the cold, a fire had been lit and the whole house had a toasty homey feel to it that so often remembered during his time in Privet Drive, when times were tough he imagined moments like this and the comfort they brought him, but the chill of his fear fell over him leaving him wanting to shiver despite how warm he was. Harry looked around at the magic of the home that had become so natural to him but still left him in shock every time he saw them. The fire was replenishing itself with sticks, the dishes were washing themselves and the table was setting itself for what Harry assumed was going to be their arrival dinner, a sort of tradition in the Weasley household, yes Mrs. Weasley’s cooking was always more than enough and tasted spectacular but on their arrival and on the day of their departure she went all out, cooking dishes that were so flavorful they left their taste on their tongues for days in end even after they ate other foods. With a wave of her wand their luggage was flown up the stairs to their rooms, she gave them each a kiss stopping on Harry giving him a look which sent a pain of guilt over his body, she was still confused about earlier on the platform but gave him a smile and a quick kiss in an attempt to hide her feelings.

Harry, Ron and Hermione walked up the stairs changing out of their Hogwarts robes, Hermione got changed in a separate room for obvious reasons but Harry and Ron got changed in the same room. They took their time, lying beside each other cuddling in the warmth the other provided, they wanted to lie there all night but knew the others would come looking for them if they weren't down to dinner soon, they both left the room together and checked Hermione and Ginny’s room to see if she was finished changing, they found the room empty and assumed she had changed and left in the time they had lay in bed together instead of getting changed, she was probably too afraid of seeing something she didn’t want to, to come and check on them so went down to the dinner table without them instead, they appreciated her giving them their privacy even if all they were doing was cuddling it was still nice to know someone in this house would give them space, as for the others Ron couldn’t assure Harry that they would get the same courtesy from his siblings and parents which Harry had expected but really hoped they could find a way around. They walked down the stairs standing in the stairwell to see the entire Weasley clan around or sitting at the table, Mrs. Weasley at the cooker waving her wand, Hermione was talking to Ginny giggling about Merlin knows what, the only absent ones were themselves, Arthur, Bill and Charlie. Bill wasn’t expected to be home for the holidays and Charlie hadn't sent a reply Mrs. Weasley expected he was busy with his dragons and would return her letter later in the holidays as for Mr. Weasley would be there but whether he was on time was another question.

‘Look, this is probably going to be very chaotic but no matter what I’m here for you alright?’ his hand lay on the boy's boney shoulder as their eyes met, with a reassuring nod the two walked down the stairs together to which the collection of Weasley yells began.

‘Well Harry’ the twins said in unison, turning to look at him their usual smirks plastered across their faces.

‘You two took your time’ Ginny complained to which Hermione let out a slight chuckle which she hid very badly with a cough the after the two shot her a disapproving look.

‘Leave them alone’ the call surprisingly came from Percy not looking up from his copy of the daily prophet as he sat in an arm chair, he was being helpful for once but they doubted it would last so they didn’t dwindle on the moment.

‘Don’t you two look lovely’ Mrs. Weasley smiled at them, she had loosened up a bit and became her usual self around Harry despite the incident on the platform, ‘Always a pleasure to have you Harry, I hope you remember that’ she rubbed his arm and walked back to the cooker as a timer dinged in the background, ‘alright everyone sit at the table! Fred and Geroge for the love of Merlin put those wands down or so help me, last thing we need is a call from the ministry for underage magic especially during the holidays, as if the minister doesn’t have enough to do in a day without dealing with you two, nor does your father need the stress wherever he is’

They all collectively shuffled to the table upon Mrs. Weasley’s request, Percy rose from the arm chair bringing his copy of the Daily Prophet with him setting it to his side as he sat down placing a napkin in his lap in his usual display of decorum, Fred and George had put their wands away finally but were playing with enchanted paper which took the form of birds, Harry had seen them flying around school assuming they had enchanted them there and brought them with them, they now flew overhead not disturbing any of them and despite her disapproving looks Mrs. Weasley said nothing. Ginny and Hermione sat beside each other continuing their conversation at the dinner table, the two had become closer since the trio had all fallen out over the confusion of Harry and Ron’s relationship and despite the fact that the three of them had made up, the two had stayed close which was good for Harry and Ron, it meant that despite her knowing about their relationship they didn’t have to worry about accidently or purposefully leaving Hermione out because she had someone to talk to and go to in those instances. Harry and Ron were the last to sit down, they sat beside Hermione and Ginny, Ginny at the opposite end Hermione in between the two and Ginny. On the other side sat the twins and Percy with a vacant seat for Charlie that Mrs. Weasley had set by mistake but did not bother to fix as she saw no reason making a fuss over an empty seat. She pointed her wand at the dishes and directed them to the table, placing them delicately in the center of the table much like the Hogwarts feat, once the food was set in front of them and Mrs. Weasley had sat down they all began to eat.

The food that lay in the dishes in front of them consisted of a variety of foods including both mashed and boiled potatoes, chicken and ham pie, a creamy sauce, gravy, salad, orange juice and mixed vegetables. They each tucked into the dinner enjoying the wide variety of food she had made for them, like Harry had said Mrs. Weasley always went all out on their arrival and departure days and tonight mas no different, the food as always was spectacular and had left them all feeling like they were going to burst, even Mrs. Weasley who looked like she might sleep as she lazily lifted her wand as the table cleared the empty dishes, they had eaten everything that had been set in front of them, and collectively thanked her for the dinner. They all jerked up as the door slammed open and saw the silhouettes of two large figures, Mrs. Weasley defensively lifted her wand as they entered. In the light the faces of Arthur and Charlie Weasley were revealed and they all collectively took a relieved sigh.

‘Merlin’s beard Arthur you scared the life out of the lot of us!’ she cried giving him a playful slap before embracing him with a warm hug and a kiss before turning to the older Weasley child, ‘and Charlie! I didn’t think you were coming, we’re glad to have you home of course but you should have let us know!’ she gave him a hug and several kisses which caused a few giggles from some of the Weasley kids who had probably gotten the same treatment as some stage and shared in the boy’s embarrassment.

‘I didn’t know until an hour ago, dad came and lifted me, wanted it to be a big surprise’ Mrs. Weasley gave Mr. Weasley another hug of appreciation of his thought for her, ‘plus I can't exactly have owls flying about the dragons, spooks them, also incredibly bad for their diet’ they all laughed at his comment as Mrs. Weasley pulled the two of them to the table, Mr. Weasley at the head of the table and Charlie sitting beside Percy and the twins. He looked up at the enchanted birds flying above and let out a small chuckle as though he were used to it and Harry realized now that he might in fact be used to it after all his years at the Burrow, it was probably comforting to see some of the twins antics, it meant he was home.

‘Well this lot have absolutely devoured the food, you’d swear they’re getting starved at that castle’ more laughter came from her comment, ‘not that I can say much, I helped a good bit with the devouring of the food but luckily for you two I saved some just in case you were coming home and a little extra for later but I suppose it makes more sense if Charlie has it, a nice homemade meal first time in a while eh Charlie’ she waved her wand once more and the premade dishes sat in front of them as they began to eat the food that she had prepared for them, Charlie looking quite thankful for the meal, Harry had never noticed before but the older Weasley brother was quite bulky with his muscular build, filling out his tight clothing quite well if he did say so himself, if he weren't dating Ron he thought of how Charlie would be his next choice a joke he would be sure to tease Ron with later. Despite his muscular build Harry also noticed that his face looked rather hollow somehow contrasting with his muscular body and wondered if that was due to the living conditions that came with his work.

The conversation rose once again at the dinner table as the two ate their meals, Charlie told them magnificent stories of his adventures and how he was studying the varying breeds of dragons and had taken his time to live and coexist in a peaceful environment with them, he slept in the same caves as them, he travelled on their backs – after a long time of gaining their respect he felt the need to add because the first time he had he had almost lost an arm - and he ate his meals with them, he obviously did not eat the same food as the dragons as they ate mainly raw or burnt meat which was not to his particular liking nor did he want to accidently threaten or challenge them by eating something they had caught and killed, regardless of this he ate at the same time as the what he called ‘magnificent creatures’ these methods and this lifestyle were the steps he had taken to create a positive relationship as he studied them and their varying ways of life between different breeds.

Arthur then gave the table a mixture of fun and serious stories from his work at the ministry, informing them he really shouldn’t say every time before he told them the stories anyway, a quality that reminded the trio of Hagrid and his catchphrase of, ‘I shouldn’t of said that’. He began telling them stories of toasters that turned the bread back into their ingredients before firing them at the owner, a watch that yelled how late you were for everything and always read the wrong time and many other incidents that were both as similar and bizarre as the ones he had just told them. He explained to them that dealing with the items and unjinxing them was not the issue it was tracking down everyone that had been affected by / had seen the effects of the items and obliviating them, because more often than not when they thought they had gotten everyone news of someone reporting the incident popped up which caused a whole situation and left them with a lot of extra paper work to do as they had to redo all of the previous papers again and do more papers to explain the old ones were incorrect, essentially the whole thing was a hassle for his entire department more often than not, thus explaining his usual late nights and arrivals.

When the two had finished their meals, Mrs. Weasley waved her wand and lifted them to the sink which had begun to wash the dishes by itself and was putting away the ones it had washed and dried into the cupboards, Harry really loved magic sometimes. As they all began to get up Mrs. Weasley insisted they remained seated much to the confusion of the diners. With another wave of her wand a large apple pie lay in front of them, the top laced with decorative flowers and designs made from the crust, along with this came a pot of custard, Mrs. Weasley’s homemade desserts were not comparable to anything Harry had ever tasted, even the feasts at Hogwarts, as glorious and tasteful as they were, did not compare to the – for lack of a better word – magic of her cooking. Harry often thought of how she should release a cook book with her recipes, or open a bakery with her goods or both for that matter as he knew both would be extremely successful and thought she deserved more praise for her cooking than they could ever give her. Although they all enjoyed the idea that her cooking and baking was a special treatment that they all got, like a secret that only they knew.

Once again, after another round of as Mrs. Weasley had put it ‘devouring’ they all felt as though they were going to burst the thought of food being uncomfortable at this stage, they had all moved from the kitchen into the living room after slowly waddling in penguin like manner to the area in an attempt to not move the food in their stomach too much. All of them lay around the living room area, some laying on the sofas and arm chair or sitting om the floor leaning on them as for Ron and Harry they lay together on the carpet, there was no fear of them cuddling or giving anything away considering that even the slightest of movements caused them to groan loudly due to the pressure on their stomachs. Even Percy lay lazily as opposed to his usual upright good postured sitting he so often bragged about, Harry realized in this moment he probably couldn’t care less about his posture in that moment, none of them cared about anything much in that moment, they were just thankful for the meal they had been provided and happy that they were all together as they lay in the living room in front of the warmth of the fire.

After a few hours of lounging about in the living room, they collectively began to get up, slowly of course but still they were getting up and that’s what was important. As each of them got up they thanked Mrs. Weasley through a yawn and walked up the stairwell to their beds, the trio collectively moved onto the sofa and lay their heads on each other's shoulders, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley doing the same on another sofa, the trio held hands and smiled enjoying the moment they were sharing together as the fire flickered in front of them, reflecting in their eyes, being the only provider of light in the entire lower floor but the fire burned brightly and lit the room in an orange hue creating the coziest of ambiences.

As the night grew longer and the clocks hands moved forward through the night, the trio quietly got up as the fire dwindled and only glowing red ambers remained, Mrs. and Mr. Weasley lay asleep snoring softly beside each other on the sofa, as they were walking past them to the Burrow’s staircase Ron lifted an orange blanket that Mrs. Weasley had knitted and placed it over the two tucking it around them gently and the other two smiled at the boy’s care towards the two, they didn’t generally see this side of the boy and it was a nice change, while Harry saw his caring side towards him he didn’t generally see him display that care to others, not that he didn’t care just that he wasn’t always the best at showing it to others most of the time and so he might have come off that way.

They said their goodnights to one another as Hermione quietly opened the door to Ginny’s room and closed it softly as she went to lie in the spare bed that had been put out for her in the room. Ron and Harry walked up the stairs again to Ron’s bedroom and closed the door behind them as they both giggled at how well the day had actually gone despite their worries. The two jumped onto Ron’s bed trying to contain their giggles as to not wake any of the others who were sleeping in the Burrow. Their eyes met as did their lips, brushing softly against each other before breaking smiles now remaining on their faces. They interlocked their fingers, and simply stared into one another's eyes, they say the eyes were the windows to the soul and neither of them doubted it for a minute for in that moment, fingers and eyes interlocked they could read each other like a book and kept rereading the words until they had them memorized, so that even when they were apart they could remember details about each other that others couldn’t even begin to fathom.

They got up, getting ready for bed although they had spent so much of the night up by the fire and staring into each other's eye’s that they wouldn’t be sleeping too long but they would enjoy what time they had. They both removed their shirts and trousers leaving them in only their boxers and crawled into the bed lying beside one another, they spooned Harry being the little spoon and Ron the big spoon, his big arms wrapping around Harry keeping him warm.

‘I love you Harry’ Ron whispered into the boy's ears snuggling his head into the boy's shoulder.

‘I love you too Ron, thank you for making this all so easy’ he squeezed the boy's arm reassuringly as his eyes fell heavy and he drifted off to sleep, Ron’s arms making him feel safe.

Silence fell over the house as everyone was finally in bed, the sound of a pin dropping would echo through the halls, the only noise being the soft snores of the Weasley clan as well as Hermione and Harry and the occasional movement from the animals in the house. The embers had finally stopped leaving nothing but ash, as Mrs. And Mr. Weasley lay wrapped in the knitted blanket that Ron had placed over them before they had gone to bed. The soft chimes of the Weasley clock chimed softly through the household, twelve chimes in the night chiming even quieter than the snores of Mr. And Mrs. Weasley Harry had noticed that the later in the night it was the quieter it got, starting to return to normal at 6 and finally at full volume promptly at 8am. Everyone in the house was sleeping peacefully as snow fell softly outside the Burrow, the outside looking like a Christmas card, they were home, they were together.


	6. Mid Morning Mayhem

The soft light of the sun shone through the fragile windows onto the young wizard’s face as he slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurred due to his lack of glasses but for all the blurriness one thing would always be clear to him was the boy that lay beside him, his Ron. He could still make out all of the boy's features, from his cute dimples to every individual freckle, joining them in his head like constellations. He lifted his glasses and placed them on his face as his vision regained its focus. He rand his hands softly through the boy’s fiery red hair smirking at him, he was adorable when he slept... then again, he was always adorable. Ron’s eyes softly fluttered open as he wiped the sleep from his eyes and looked up at the boy peering down on him with a smirk.

‘You know you might have defeated you know who but that doesn’t mean you can look down on me’ he gave a sly smirk as he pulled the boy closer to him, his hand on his neck, ‘especially not when I put in all of that effort into growing so I was taller than you, it’s the only thing I have over you, you know’ he gave the boy a toothy grin, one which he promptly returned.

He could feel the heat of Ron’s breath on his face, his hot breath warming his cheeks as his eyes scanned his face in every direction finally landing on his lips with those blue eyes that Harry so often found himself swimming in, like pools of waters unknown. His face came closer to Ron’s and as the space between them grew smaller so did their patience, the gap between them would have been completely broken by their touch in their embrace, had the sound of a handle jiggling not made them jump apart. The twins stood in the doorway, the wooden door moving swiftly at their touch, the light pouring into the room further blinding them slightly as their eyes adjusted, the twin's eyes scanned the room for the two rather red-faced boys to wake them up, a habit they were apparently going to get into it. Their eyes finally fell on the two and a puzzled look soon turned to one of excitement as they saw them lying practically naked within the same bed, although they did not look at one another the two boys could tell they were both worried about the same things, that the twins had figured it out that they were dating, that their perfectly crafted secret had crumbled down around them.

‘Blimey Ron you could have given the poor boy his own bed to sleep in after the journey we went through, of course you’re too lazy to put any effort in for that’ George shook his head with a smirk on his face, one that the other twin also had on his face.

‘Not even for your own best friend, what a shame’ the twins shook their heads at the same time with a simultaneous tut as they two boys took a collective sigh of relief before smirking at the boy's comments, they hadn't figured anything out, not yet anyway. They had escaped that conversation, at least for now.

‘Well it was cold you know? Sleeping together helps keep us warm’ the twins looked at the two boy's topless torso’s and bare legs as they opened their mouths to comment he added, ‘skin contact is also good for heat generation... not that there was much contact or anything’ he added after a shocked look from an already red faced Harry, skin to skin contact maybe wasn’t the best image to convey if they were trying to hide this thing, for the time being anyway, they would tell them on their own terms not because someone had caught them out.

‘Right well we came to tell you mum has made breakfast and wants you two sleepyheads down the stairs... preferably now’ George smirked as he and Fred threw shirts at the two of them, Rons landing on his face obscuring his vision so he didn’t see the twins leaving with grins on their faces, as he lifted his shirt off of his head he turned to see Harry slowly moving towards the door as he closed it quietly.

‘That was close’

‘Far too close I was certain they’d figured it out, they’ve always been good at it, even when we were younger, they had a way of figuring things out, maybe because they were so good at bending the truth’ Harry gave him a puzzled look as he pulled the shirt over his head, ‘mum always said that people who bend the truth have a talent for seeing when others do it’

‘Well lucky for us their talent appears to not have worked, otherwise we would have been in for a rather awkward conversation’ he giggled as Ron’s red hair disappeared under his shirt and popped back out with a concerned look on his face.

‘We are going to have to have that conversation eventually you know...’ the messy haired boy stopped buttoning his trousers and looked up at his boyfriend as he continued, ‘we promised we’d tell them Harry, same as Hermione, like you said it isn’t fair for us to keep it from them and I don’t think I want to. I don’t want to sneak about anymore, I want to hold your hand at the dinner table, I want to share our desserts, I want to do all the things we normally do in front of them, they’re my family Harry’

‘Well all of that sounds great, especially you sharing dessert, that would certainly be a first’ he smirked as he walked closer to his boyfriend and intertwined their fingers, ‘you’re right though, we have to tell them... I want to tell them, but can we do it later? I don’t want breakfast to be any weirder than us being late will make it, that will cause enough questions without throwing in, hey we are dating into it’ his lips met the other boys as they both smiled in agreement.

The two boys quickly got dressed and the stairs creaked under their steps from the fifth floor as they jumped down each of the stairs and landed at the bottom after skipping three steps and falling on top of each other, the two boys groaned as they got off of each other rubbing their legs and arms that had been contorted into a variety of unnatural shapes. With giggles of the Weasley children filling the room the two sat beside each other at the table for breakfast. At the table was the twins, Ginny, Percy, themselves and Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley was waving her wand as dishes flew around their heads, in a manner of minutes there was a variety of foods placed on the table – bacon sandwiches, porridge and toast, with a variety of jams and marmalades and drinks such as orange juice, tea and coffee, the table was cramped considering the kitchen was small and really was only supposed to sit eight but they made it work, Harry and Ron were practically on top of each other, not that they were complaining of course.

‘So what took you two so long?’ Mr Weasley asked innocently as the two eyed each other

‘Oh you know Ron always sleeping in’ he gave an awkward laugh in reply.

He looked as though his mouth was opening to ask another question when the sound of a crash caused all but Percy to jump. He muttered something they couldn’t quite make out, Harry only caught the end of it ‘stupid bird’. Of course, it was Errol with the owl post. Percy opened the window and lifted the bird by the leg as he removed the paper from his beak and he flew out again likely to Percy’s room, Harry hoped he didn’t crash again, Percy’s room might only be on the second floor but it was still quite a fall, snow or no snow. As Percy sat to open the newspaper it was swiftly lifted out of his hands as they all turned to see Charlie had finally decided to join them.

‘I was reading that you know’ he complained turning to face the large boy.

‘How could you have been? You hadn’t even opened it’ he smirked as he sat across from Harry as the others bunched up to make room, he opened the paper before looking at Harry, ‘so how’s school Harry?’

‘You never ask me how school is!’ Ron whined, he had a thing for feeling unnoticed or unappreciated, now more than ever.

‘Because you’re useless at school dumbo’ Fred added throwing toast at his younger brother to which Mrs. Weasley slammed her hand on the table, she didn’t even have to say anything, they just stopped.

‘School’s going great’ he replied giving Ron a look as if to say calm down, ‘how are the dragons’

‘Oh, they’re just the same’ Harry had never heard Charlie so reluctant to speak on his favorite topic, ‘it’s mating season so they’re all in a flurry, speaking of mates what about you any ladies?’ Harry choked on his orange juice at the question causing the family to raise some eyebrows.

‘Uh no, I have no... ladies’ he answered after a minute of coughing trying his best not to look at Ron for fear of giving the truth away.

‘God Harry no need to get all choked up about it’ Fred chuckled as he and George high-fived at the comment as Harry and Ron joined in their laughter.

‘Sorry that was maybe too personal, I spend so much time with dragons that I sometimes forget what's considered rude or intrusive’ before Harry could argue he added, ’I’m not saying you think that I just know I have a habit of doing it, dragons are quite different from us you know... yet they’re so similar in so many ways’ he drank the rest of his tea quickly as he got up from the table and placed a kiss on his mother's cheek before leaving through the front door, Harry and Ron followed him out of curiosity and nosiness giving a halfhearted thanks to Mrs. Weasley before running after the older Weasley child.

They had been in such a rush last night that Harry had forgot to appreciate the true beauty of the Burrow, the front yard never changed with its chickens wandering about despite the cold, a variety of objects around the lawn from wellington boots to rusty cauldrons, his favorite was always the little sign now covered by the snow that announced the location, ‘the burrow’. As the two followed Charlie he wiped his hand on the sign revealing it’s writing. They followed him to the back garden that lay behind the house, the large garden was surrounded by a fence and a hedge as well as gnarled trees. It was normally in a state of overgrowth when Harry visited in the summer, filled with weeds and grass that needed cutting but it was no longer like this, the snow had covered the grass and the cold killed any weeds that might have remained. They trotted through the green pond, its frogs hiding in the water that lay beneath the frozen surface and past the hedges that lead to the family orchard. He kneeled down in the snow and the two boys looked at one another in confusion as the knelt beside him.

‘The cold is bearable for us, we have the comfort of fires and sweaters, not every creature has that luxury’ they leaned forward and saw a gnome that was shivering in the snow, the garden gnomes had been a constant terror on the Burrow, they often had to remove them in the summer but Charlie was a different breed, he would care for a poisonous bat if he could.

‘Charlie it’ll be fine, they hibernate in the winter remember?’ Harry said placing his hand on Charlie’s shoulder, ‘all we have to do it get it out of the cold and find it’s hibernation den’

They quickly marched up the hill which they had just passed, through the bushes to a small paddock where the Weasley twins often practiced their quidditch due to the trees that obscured the area from the views of muggles. He moved to a tree that had several scratches on it and dig into its roots revealing what appeared to be a rabbit hole, he clearly knew better as he placed the gnome in it and buried it under the dirt before turning to face the two boys.

‘You two didn’t have to come’ he smiled sniffing, Harry couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or if he had been crying, ‘but thank you for coming, I probably wouldn’t have thought clearly if you hadn’t, he’ll be fine’ he smiled at them as the three of them walked back towards the burrow stopping in front of it.

‘I missed you Charlie, I don't think I say that enough’ Ron spoke up, ‘I should have written more, it’s just hard locating you and I... I should have tried harder’

‘I’m actually glad you didn’t’ he admitted, Ron looked puzzled understandably before the boy continued, ‘hearing from you would only make me miss home more and would have made my time away more unbearable, it’s a lonely business you know, dragons are amazing and I love them but I miss you guys... all of you’ his hand messed Ron’s already messed hair, he walked ahead of them into the warmth of the Burrow as the two of them looked at one another.

‘What a weirdo who ever heard of helping a garden gnome... Charlie I suppose’ he placed his hands into his pockets as his jaw clattered, ‘it’s bloody freezing out here, I should have put more layers on’

‘Well let’s get you inside then, I can’t have you dying of hypothermia, now can I?’ he smirked as he pulled the boy towards the Burrow, but he stopped him, ‘what’s wrong?’

‘It’s just with what Charlie said, about family... Harry you’re my family too now, and if you’re my family then that means you’re his family too, you’re a Weasley’ Harry smiled at the thought, him, a Weasley, ‘we should tell them tonight, at dinner, I don’t think we can keep it in any longer especially not with all of those questions at breakfast’

‘Well then we’ll tell them, if you feel that strongly about it’ he wrapped his arms around the boy, his embrace warming him slightly, ‘I’m scared, aren’t you?’

‘Oh, bloody terrified, but then again if I wasn’t it wouldn’t be real would it?’ he asked as their embrace broke and they walked towards the Burrow together, a clamor of voices rising as they entered the Burrow, maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as they thought.


	7. Christmas Confessions

The two walked in and saw Charlie had went straight out the other door with Mr. Weasley to help him in his shed likely doing something that wasn’t entirely legal, but at least they were doing it out of the eyesight of Mrs. Weasley. The sounds of banging and small explosions let them know that the twins had gone up the stairs and were also doing something probably illegal, Ginny and Percy were sitting on the sofa, her head on his lap, both of them reading – however they were reading entirely different things, Percy was reading the newspaper once again while Ginny was reading a book on quidditch.

Mrs. Weasley was tidying the kitchen and waved the two over likely to ask for their help, they were wrong on that assumption though, she hummed a song Harry wasn’t familiar with but watched as she waved her wand landing a cookbook in front of them flicking through it as she danced around the kitchen causing them both to laugh before she opened it to a page on mince pies.

‘Now I could wave my wand and make these pies in a moment's notice however I believe that Harry might appreciate having something to do that doesn’t include watching you misbehave Ron’ she gave him a knowing smirk as his face went a deep red, and his elbow dug into Harry playfully as he began to laugh at him.

The two boys nodded in agreement and Mrs. Weasley sat down at the table looking rather relieved at having nothing to do in that moment as she waved her wand, and the kettle and tea bag flew towards her as she made herself a cup of tea watching the two boy's work. Ron and Harry were slightly disjointed in the beginning, Ron asking Harry to get things before realising Harry was not familiar with where those items would be, but eventually they fell into a rhythm following the recipe. Harry was surprised at how good at making the pies Ron had been, he was very professional and despite playfully putting flour on Harry out of the eyesight of his mother, he was taking this whole thing very seriously. They opened the oven and placed the pies in smiling at one another, covered in flour.

‘Well Ron it appears you can behave, shame Harry isn’t here all the time to watch you’ the two of them gave each other a look which said “i wish” before turning to face her, ‘now when those are done, I’ll finish the rest of dinner and we can try them!’ she got up placing her cup in the sink letting a yell out the back door warning Mr. Weasley and Charlie to stop their illegal activities before she caught them.

The two intertwined their fingers as they playfully joke about the flour on their faces before kissing one another softly, jolting apart at the sound of Hermione walking up behind them. She rubbed her finger across the worktop looking at the flour and the mess they made shaking her head, they knew what they were in for, a rant about the cleanliness of the counters, they were wrong again.

‘I hate to say this because the thought makes me quite ill but you two are actually quite cute together’ the two gave her violent looks causing her to place her hands over her mouth as if to take the words back, the three looked over and saw Ginny and Percy make no moment, presuming they hadn’t head, in a hushed voice she continued, ‘sorry I forgot they were here, speaking of them I hate to sound like I'm pressuring you I promise I’m not but when are you planning on telling them?’ the two gave each other uncertain looks.

‘Soon, definitely soon, we know we want to tell them, and we know realistically they will accept it but it’s the whole process of telling them’ Harry answered in a whispered voice

‘Yeah, I mean look what happened with you, we don’t want to upset anyone because we didn’t tell them’ Hermione looked rather uncomfortable at Ron’s comment, she had forgotten about their argument before the school break.

‘What are you lot whispering about?’ Percy asked, nosy as always.

‘Nothing, Hermione is just telling us that we shouldn’t have made such a mess’ Harry gave a forced smile as did Hermione trying her best not to punch him.

‘Well, she makes a good point, I really don’t understand how you make such a mess’ he looked at the three of them, ‘don’t worry Harry we all know it was likely Ronald’s doing’ he patted the boy on his back before walking up the stairs to his bedroom leaving the three standing there to clean.

When they had finished cleaning the countertop and sweeping, all without magic unfortunately, Mrs. Weasley began to cook the remainder of their dinner as they helped Hermione and Ginny set the table while the two boys got changed and cleaned for dinner, once they were tidied up, they walked down the stairs to see the others sitting around the table waiting for them as they sat beside one another as Mrs. Weasley placed their pies on the table and sat down with them. They all began eating the pies and the various vegetables that were laid out before them.

‘Harry these pies are absolutely delicious’ Mrs. Weasley complimented taking another bite.

‘Yeah, best grub we’ve had in ages’ the twins spoke in unison.

‘Actually, it was mostly Ron, I’m quite useless in the kitchen but he helped me out’ the boy smiled at him as they held hands under the table, his expression changed suddenly confusing Ron as he continued, ‘actually Ron and I have something to tell you’

‘What?’ Ron asked almost choking on his pie

‘Harry are you sure now is the right time?’ Hermione asked, she was concerned that he was rushing it, but he was never more certain than in this moment, he nodded in reply and she smiled as he and Ron turned to face the other confused Weasley’s.

‘Ron and I are dating we have been for a while and we hope you accept that but honestly if you don’t, I don’t care because I love him’ he lifted his intertwined hand onto the table as all the Weasley’s looked down in shock, then to each other, then back at the boys. Harry had never been so outspoken before, it was exhilarating, it was terrifying. A silence filled the room before Mrs. Weasley spoke up.

‘Harry for the love of Merlin...’ he was ready for her to rant about how they were too young, or this wasn’t right, he did not expect what came next, ‘why you think you had to hide this from us is honestly more than I will ever know’

‘Blimey Harry you’re practically already one of the family may as well make it official’ Fred smirked

‘Bit offended it wasn’t me though’ George joked

‘Well, that’s because he wants someone attractive, so why didn’t you choose me Harry?’ Harry went beet red at Bill’s comment as the room began to flood with compliments and questions, how did they know? When was their first kiss? Who else had they told? The two answered them the best they could without getting embarrassed but there were a couple more red-faced moments throughout.

‘Look Harry I hate to say it but I sort of had a little suspicion and so I had something made just in case’ Mrs. Weasley waved her wand and a box flew in front of the two.

The two opened and saw the traditional Christmas jumpers with their letters on the front but on the back, there was an extra message, ‘he’s my mistletoe mate’ and an arrow pointing to each other, their grins were ear to ear as they put them on and locked lips in front of them, causing a few fake disgusted groans but eventually they all were letting out a cheer, even Percy. Harry looked around as Mrs. Weasley cleared the table and placed dessert in front of them as conversation continued as normal, he forgot why he had been so worried, of course it had gone well, they were the Weasley’s, everything was perfect with them.


	8. Dates and Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter feels a bit rushed but in all honesty i forgot about like half of my fics so forgive me

Harry and Ron sat on the bed looking into each other’s eyes as the stars shone outside, sparkling almost as brightly as their eyes were in that moment. The holidays were almost over and this was their last night together, after that they had school and all the pain that came with that.

‘We have to go back to school in the morning my love’ Ron’s deep voice said as he moved Harry’s messy hair out of his eyes so he could get a better look at them, they were beautiful.

‘Well, the way I look at it, we’ll be going together so no matter what happens at least we will have each other right?’

‘Right’ their hands intertwined as they looked at each other’s faces once more, taking in every detail they could as though this would be the last time, they would ever see one another because for some reason that was how it felt.

‘Ron?’ he sat up looking down at the boy

‘What's wrong? Your scar hurting?’ his look of concern caused the boy to smile

‘No but thank you for worrying’ he kissed his hand, ‘can we do something... I’ve always wanted to do?’

‘Uh of course’ Ron swallowed hard unsure of where this was going.

Harry got up leading the boy to the window opening it slowly to avoid making any noise that might alert the others in the Burrow of what they were doing. The two climbed up the drain pipe to the top of the roof and sat beside one another looking up at the stars. Harry had always wanted to come up here, ever since his first visit to the Burrow he had always wanted to see the stars from up here, the sky was so clear from the country, no pollution destroying the natural light the stars provided them. He placed his head on Ron’s shoulder, this was exactly how he wanted their last night together in the Burrow.

The two woke the next day in their beds, they had decided it best not to sleep on the roof as if they fell it would not be a pleasant experience. The sun had crept through the window and the two decided they would skip breakfast and just lie in each other's arms for a while longer. The two finally decided it best to get up when the sound of Erol crashing into the window 20 minutes late woke them up again and the sound of the Weasley’s below was its usual volume of chaos the morning of the day back to school. The two walked down the Burrow’s stairs linked arm in arm, they would face this together.

The train ride back to Hogwarts was the same as it had always been, Harry, Ron and Hermione sharing a compartment together, eating as many sweets as they could, telling jokes and Hermione telling them what they would be doing this year in school, all before getting changed into their school robes as the train pulled up to the station where they would ride their boats to the castle. Stepping off the boats into the castle that was their school always gave them a chill down their spines, this was the place they had met, where they had become friends, it was where Harry had fell for Ron that night in their dormitories.

Seamus and Dean had been out, kissing probably although they tried their best to keep their relationship secret at the time despite everyone knowing and Neville was hanging out with Luna and Ginny leaving the two boys alone in their dormitory. Fred and George had snuck Harry some fire whiskey, extra strength, and the two boys had decided to drink it before the others returned getting extra tipsy, borderline drunk and an intense heat passing between them, more than just the effects of the whiskey, Harry had placed his lips onto Ron’s and the rest was history, they had been inseparable since then and now the Weasley’s knew it was time for everyone else.

They had certainly made their impression walking in with their fingers intertwined. They had gotten looks their entire journey throughout the halls and they heard the whispers of their classmates, but they ignored them, they cared not for their opinions, if they were negative then screw them.

‘Well look at this it appears Potter has got himself a little boyfriend’ the high annoying voice of Draco Malfoy called, they stopped and turned to look at him, ‘you and Weasley a couple now Potter?’

‘Yes actually’ the blonde-haired boy was silent, clearly not expecting that reply.

‘Harry and I are a couple now and if anyone has an issue with that then they can come and speak to us directly alright?’ Ron called to those watching around them, he was being rather confident, it was a side Harry so rarely saw in him but enjoyed when it made itself present.

‘And us!’ the Weasley twins called walking towards them, clearly, they had been listening.

‘And me’ Percy stepped forward

‘Well i think it goes without saying but me too’ Hermione stood alongside the two boys and the other Weasleys, like Harry had said they would do this together.

‘That’s quite enough of that’ the voice of McGonagall called out, all of them turning to face her, ‘everyone go to where you are supposed to be, Weasley and Potter a word’ everyone around them quickly made their way to their dorms, even Malfoy left them, the two walked to their professor arms still linked.

‘Nice to see you again professor’ she raised her eyebrow at Harry’s comment.

‘Typical of you two to make a scene of some sort upon your arrival, could you not have let one year go by without a dramatic event within the first week?’ despite her criticism a smile appeared on her face, ’it’s nice to see you two as well, and... I’m happy for you two, any trouble you let me know alright? Now off you go’ the boys left her, hands still intertwined smiling.

Despite their announcement and the rallying behind them, the whispers of their classmates did not seem to stop, in fact they only seemed to grow louder. Harry didn’t like whispers, they reminded him of the Dursleys and how they would always whisper before giving him punishments or restricting his food, or locking him up, he couldn’t take this much longer. The straw to break the camel's back was when he entered study and every single person fell silent as they looked at him, the silence was worse than the whispers. The air around him seemed to thin out as his heart began to speed up, he ran out of the room to the boy's bathroom as his vision faded and blurred, his breathing getting more rapid as less air went into his lungs. He suspected he was having a panic attack, he had read about them but had never actually gotten one, how he wished Hermione were there to tell him how to fix it. His vision went to black

When his vision returned to normal the concerned face of McGonagall greeted him as did those of Hermione and Ron. It took him a minute to fully regain his consciousness but after he did, he listened to the report of what had happened, Hermione and Ron holding him tightly. Ron had heard something was wrong with Harry after Dean ran out to tell him and he found him in the bathroom where he had knocked himself out after going into a panic attack and fainting, his head hitting the floor a little too hard. They had decided while he was unconscious that perhaps being removed from this environment was for the better and Harry could not argue with them. He would go out on a retreat with Ron’s brother Charlie for an extracurricular in care for magical creatures and he would be sent any remaining work apart from that, it would mean time apart from Ron, but it's what they all agreed they needed. Before he could say anything, Charlie walked in and Harry knew it was the right decision.

Several hugs and tears later the older Weasley and Harry departed and waved their goodbyes to Hermione and Ron. Saying goodbye to Ron had been the hardest part of it all, they couldn’t do this together if they were apart. They never actually said goodbye, they just gave half mumbles about how he would write and how they wouldn’t be apart long but never a goodbye. The place they arrived at was the simplest of places, it was mainly rocks and trees aside from that it was barren, well so he thought, as he stepped off of the broomstick his feet felt the sensation of something crawling on them as he looked down, he saw a tiny dragon no bigger than a gecko crawling across his feet, he smiled down at it, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

A month had passed since Harry had arrived with Charlie; it had actually been quite eventful as was every event he ever had with Charlie. Harry had learned a lot about dragons while he was with him, co-existing with the creatures peacefully as he learned their habits, their sleeping patterns, their eating patterns, he wrote it all down in a journal for Hagrid alongside Charlie’s guidance of course, he could think of no one better to share that knowledge with than the biggest magical creature lover he had ever known, he hadn’t told him either so it would be a surprise. He had been writing to Hagrid of course, as had he been writing to his other friends, but the letters he longed for the most were Ron’s. Ron wrote to him more frequently than ever and Harry kept all of his letters in a secure box so they would not be tainted by the playfulness of the dragons. Ron wrote to him most days, longer letters than Harry would expect and rather romantic for that matter, like something from a romance novel, he feared Ron may be spending all of his time writing Harry these letters rather than his schoolwork but Ron assured him that Hermione was keeping him on track, and to double check he asked Hermione in a letter and she confirmed what Ron had said. He only had a week left here with Charlie and as much as he enjoyed his time there and spending time with Charlie and the dragons, he couldn’t wait to get back to see everyone, especially Ron, he had promised him quite the date when he returned.

The week drew to a close and Harry collected his items and his box of letters as Charlie flew him home on the back of one of the dragons, they had spent the past month bonding with. The view of the castle had never been so inviting nor the thought of those who ay inside its walls. As the dragon landed Harry jumped off hugging Ron, probably longer than he should have before greeting everyone else and waving goodbye to Charlie as he told them a few of his many stories on the way to their dorms. Harry got washed when they went to their dorm, he smelled of dragon and it was a rather unpleasant smell, he placed on some casual clothes and stepped out of the bathroom to find Ron standing in an emerald green jumper and black trousers, a rose in his hand. It was odd seeing him in colours he associated with Slytherin but he quite enjoyed the view as he took the rose from the boy placing a kiss on his lips.

‘You ready for that date Potter?’

‘Ready as I’ll ever be Weasley’ the two boys snuck down the corridor and out of the castle as Ron blindfolded the boy leading him by the hand.

The boys stopped as Harry took off Harry’s blindfold, he had led him to the quidditch pitch, it was an unusual place for a date but Harry learned never to question Ron’s logic, his plans usually came together before long. The boy sat down on the pitch and patted his hand for Harry to follow him in that action, Harry sat down beside the boy before he pushed him onto his back, Harry looking rather startled at the unprompted action.

‘Ron what the hell are you-’

‘Shhhh, just shhh for a minute okay?’ Harry nodded in agreement as the boy lay on his back beside him and lifted his hand, ‘and now look up’

Harry looked up above him and saw something he hadn’t noticed before, the sky above them was covered in stars, it looked like one of those famous paintings he read about, it was beautiful. The stars were the same constellations that they had saw the night before they returned to Hogwarts, Ron sat pointing them out to him as he turned to face the boy.

‘You found the constellations?’

‘Well they tend to stay in the sky' he smirked 'yeah i did with a little help from Hermione and Luna’

‘Luna?’

‘She’s good at this okay?’ he smiled at the boy, ‘they helped me find a place where if we looked up, we could see all the same constellations we did that night at my house, took us a while but we got there in the end... do you like it?’

‘It’s perfect’

‘Welcome back Harry’

‘Good to be back Ronald’


End file.
